Pope Francis said in an interview published on Tuesday that he asked for a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to stop the war in Ukraine but had not received a reply.
The Pope told Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper that about three weeks into the conflict, he asked the Vatican’s top diplomat to send a message to Putin.
He said the message was “that I was willing to go to Moscow. Certainly, it was necessary for the Kremlin leader to allow an opening. We have not yet received a response and we are still insisting”.
He added: “I fear that Putin cannot, and does not, want to have this meeting at this time.”
